Nick Wilde awoke slowly; drifting dimly. Before his thoughts coalesced into any sort of coherent thread, he was made comfortably aware of a pleasant aching between his legs. Next, he registered the smell. Not wholly unpleasant (to him at least) but unmistakingly that of sex; they had spent most of the night at it, so it made sense that the scent would be nearly overwhelming. Jack had made love to him and to his surprise and delight, Nick had reached orgasm three times (a tie for his all-time record).

Making love.

"Am I really in love? And with a rabbit - again? It's only been a month. Is this feeling real or… just the absence of heartbreak?"

A valid question.

In his sleepy state, sighing into his pillow Nick decided not to get into it just now. For once, he didn't feel overly rushed to confront his feelings. Even without putting a name to it, this thing he had - the companionship, the trust and yes, the sex as well. It was undeniably better than anything he had had in a very long time.

Speaking of sex, they had certainly done a lot of it. A few days ago, Nick had never even experienced 'anal' anything, and now, well, he was just sorry he'd gone so long without.

To be fair, being in a same-sex relationship hadn't changed much. He certainly wasn't feeling any sudden attractions to random males he saw walking down the street; Jack it seemed was special somehow in that respect. Still, the sex. The sex! It blew his mind… as well as other things.

The previous night Jack had taken him from behind for the first time and somehow the deep, rhythmic thrusting had set him off in record time; almost embarrassingly fast. He couldn't even make fun of Jack's quick finishes anymore. Something about the rabbit's size and shape hit that sweet spot inside him in just the right way.

Afterward, as they lay panting, Jack had jokingly called him a, "hands-free homosexual miracle".

Sleepily reminiscing, Nick's hands instinctively searched under the covers, only to discover a leith form pressed back-facing into his own chest and hips. They had become so closely entwined in sleep that Nick had stopped recognizing the smaller mammal as a separate entity.

After a minute basking in their closeness, Nick found himself slowly, and gently running the pads of his fingers along Jack's stomach. Before the striped bunny had begun to awaken, the fox shifted his paw lower and was thrilled to find a healthy morning wood; an impressively stiff specimen (as any expert could attest).

Nick drew a feathery soft touch along the underside, stopping at the frenulum and traveling back to the base a few times, before, with a great inhalation of breath, Jack let out a slight mumbling moan.

"Mmmhh, now what's all this then?"

Nick smiled and placed his chin against the awakening rabbit's head, "Oh, nothing much. Was just thinking about flipping you over and going for a ride. Wouldn't want to waste this thing you've got going on."

Jack stretched and yawned for a moment, "As much as I'd like to, I've only got this because I seriously have to pee. You sit on me now and I think I might burst, and not in a good way."

Nick hid what was an unexpectedly sharp pang of disappointment in a yawn that ended with a click of his teeth, "Suit yourself."

Jack finished stretching and turned so he was facing his fox. "So."

"So?"

"We didn't really talk last night."

Nick attempted a coquettish grin, "No, no we didn't."

"I gave Judy the video as per the plan."

"Mm, think she watched it?" Nick took a quick look at his phone before placing it back down on his nightstand, "I haven't gotten any messages."

Jack just nodded, "I'm fairly sure she watched it. That's not really what I wanted to talk about though. I wanted to confess… that... I feel like I might have gone a bit overboard these last few days. Everything kind of got out of control. I don't know, it's like - there was a time when I told lies, and manipulated people for a living." Jack speech began to waver slightly, increasing in volume and speed. Nick's sleepiness was washed away as he shook the cobwebs from his brain and focused on what the rabbit was saying.

"I had started to feel like I'm past that time in my life, but then, I do something like this. And even though it's just a prank, the lies... they just seem to flow out of me. And suddenly the old me is back. I don't like myself Nick, at least not who I used to be."

Nick scooched forward and drew his face up so that they were nose-to-nose. He could see that this was something that had been really bothering him. With one hand, he started lightly caressing Jack's backside. "I wish you had of told me this earlier Bunny Buns."

"I'm serious Nick."

"So am I. This whole thing was not supposed to get this complicated. I never wanted to make you feel uncomfortable or like you're falling back into old habits."

Jack shook his head, "Look, I don't blame you for anything. I just needed to get that off my chest. And don't worry about me. After last night I'm definitely feeling better. I have a feeling after seeing that video Judy will have put two and two together. She's not dumb, your bunny. I wouldn't be surprised if she wasn't planning some kind of retaliation as we speak."

Nick scoffed, "I definitely never said she was dumb (recently anyway). And she's not my bunny. My bunny is right here."

Jack felt a sudden jolt of fluttering happiness that bubbled up at Nick's words. "You mean that?"

Nick shifted in the early morning darkness, kissing him softly, "Yeah, I do."

"Then do you mind if I ask you something."

Nick didn't respond and instead let Jack ask his question without interruption.

"Why are you really doing this? You call it a prank, but I can't help feeling like you're trying to… make her jealous, maybe?"

Nick immediately fell into a playful mocking tone, inside though his gut did a little flip, "Now, now Stripes. Are you sure you're not the jealous one? I thought you said you weren't the type."

"First off, I never said that. I'm definitely the jealous type. I just didn't expect I'd be jealous of you."

The playfulness left Nick's face as the fox's ears fell back. A hurt look crossed his features before Jack stopped him mid-thought.

"No. That came out wrong. What I mean to say is that I've only ever experienced jealousy over one mammal, ever, and he was my husband. So feeling that way about you has been... unexpected."

Nick let out a breath. This conversation was getting way too heavy for first thing in the morning. "I believe you and, you know, as long as we talk about it, it's ok to feel that way about me sometimes - jealous I mean."

The rabbit shook his head, "It would be ok, but really I might have been too hard on Hopps. I was-" Jack swallowed, his eyes dropping before he continued, "Ok, I am jealous of her. I got reckless... and became kind of an asshole."

"Jack, look, you have no need to be jealous of Judy. And as far as being a jerk, well, I am expecting some righteous fury is coming our way. I plan to take the brunt of it. Trust me though, I have high hopes that things are going to be fine. Once she cools off you can say you're sorry if you want. She'll come around."

Jack sighed, mulling this over. Nick started to sit up to leave the bed but Jack stopped him with a paw. "Nick."

"Mmh?"

"You never answered my question. Why are you really doing this? I know you love her…"

Nick let out a long breath, he felt exasperated, although he knew he had no right to be. Misdirection had always been his first and most powerful tool, Jack though seemed to be mostly immune.

"I guess you could say that I was trying to save our friendship." Nick finished sitting up, "This last month we've been on seriously rocky ground. I've been ready a few times to let loose on her, to tell her straight up to stay out of my affairs. I knew though, that if I started that argument it was going to go nuclear. I've been… no, I am afraid of the aftermath of that conversation. Me and Judy have had some shouting matches before, but this was setting up to be the grand fucking showdown. Because we care about each other, yet at the same time we have these polar opposite views. I came up with this plan because I was just hoping that maybe I could unbalance her enough that she might see things from a new perspective. Because if she can't, then I don't know what's going to happen to us."

Jack propped himself up next to Nick as he spoke. The rabbit rubbed a paw along the fox's arm before bumping him lightly with his forehead.

"Should have guessed you'd have more of an angle then just payback."

"Yeah well, I am a sly fox after all." Nick said with a grin.

"If shifting Judy's paradigm is the real goal of what we're doing then I think our final act should be less sexy and more romantic. We want her to re-evaluate her concept of love, not just sex."

"There's that word again."

Nick saved his thoughts for a future time when he could really seriously consider them, "Ok, if you have an idea let's hear it."

Jack tapped at his chin for a moment, "How about less complicated. No more spy craft. Let's just hit the town, see a film, walk in the park, ride a ferris wheel and have lunch at a cafe somewhere. I still need to get you some new clothes and since we agreed I get to dress you, so-long as I'm paying, I think we could do some serious shopping as well."

"This is sounding like a sappy romantic comedy."

"I don't even care. We are going to just have the most ridiculously cliched date there ever was. If Hopps decides to spy on us being a happy couple - great. Maybe it'll give her something to think about. If not, then game over, we'll tell her everything tomorrow and we can face the fallout together."

By the end of Jack's speech Nick was looking at the rabbit with something like a mixture of amusement and admiration. "You know Hopalong, despite what mammals say, you're not just a pretty face." Nick leaned over and gave him a quick kiss on the lips, "I like this plan. You've got to dress up as Max one last time though. Also, really, no sex? Like none? How about some intense 'over-the-pants' touching at the very least?"

Jack smirked and rolled his eyes. Then with the kind of energy only a rabbit could have five minutes after waking up, he bounced his butt to the edge of the bed. Reaching out, he gave Nick's fur covered sheath a quick squeeze. Then before the fox could react he was off the bed and in three, one-legged hops, had reached the washroom door. He turned to Nick and smiled. "I think we can play it by ear."

As the morning progressed they decided to shower separately lest they get distracted. It was about an hour later, and after getting sufficiently dolled up that Jack dressed himself, careful to choose a pair of slacks that fully covered his prosthetic. Then they were out the door, hitting the town just as planned. It was around nine in the morning when Nick received a text message.

Judy:

Hey Slick! Long time no see. What you up to today partner?

Nick:

Hey there fluff. Been missin you!

Today I've got a bit of a date thing planned. What's up with you?

Judy:

Nothing much just wanted to know if you wanted to hang. If you have a date though I've got a bunch of other stuff I've got to do. So who's your date huh? Is it Daisy? What have you got planned? Cus it better be good. She's a classy vixen after all.

(Nick laughed when he read the text, "Real sly there Judes")

Nick:

Don't worry I'll give you the rundown later at work. We have a whole day planned though. First up, gonna see a matinee of Dead Poodle at the Bay street theater.

Judy:

Seriously? That's a terrible date movie.

Nick:

Are you kidding? It's a love story!

Judy

Oooook whatever.

Have fun. And Nick, a word of advice… don't screw this up ;)

Nick

Sage. Truly.

The amused todd showed Jack the full exchange a moment later. They both agreed that the game was on.

The day, in a word, was perfect. They saw a movie. Walked through the park as a warm breeze blew through the trees. They fed geese, and shared chaste kisses at the banks of a picturesque little pond. They ate ice cream, and Jack bought Nick a very nice charcoal grey shirt and an expensive silk tie.

Throughout all this pleasant, wholesome fun, did Judy Hopps follow them, listening, trying to pick up bits of their purposefully inane, overly mushy conversation? Yes... Was she any good at remaining hidden… no… definitely no. In fact, she was so abysmal at it that it was actually pretty funny.

Within the first ten minutes of her arrival at the theater both Nick and Jack knew exactly where she was. Throughout the day, it wasn't so much a matter of when they spotted her but more when they didn't that was rare. The pair often laughed about her sightings and whispered the codename they created for her which was simply, 'Ninja-Bunny'.

As the day waned, Judy had continued to follow them unwaveringly; even trailing them as far as Nick's house. When they hailed a cab, intent on bringing the day's events to a close, they were surprised to notice that she had jumped into her own cab and seemingly ordered it to follow them.

Jack was sitting next to Nick in the back seat as the driver pulled them into the bustling city traffic. After having snuck a look out the back window, shaking his head, he said, "I think she must have learned spying from old black and white detective films. Still, I knew she was tenacious, but this is something else. If I ever get her for development training again, it's going to be surveillance 101 for the full week."

Nick had his arm around Jack's midsection and he gave his ribs a light squeeze, "Probably a good idea. I've always found that spying is more connected to lying then it is acting. Judy can act, but she's a terrible liar." Nick only noticed at the end of his thoughts that Jack's ears had fallen slightly. He guessed what he said might have been taken as critique of what the veteran rabbit used to do. So, steering away from the topic, he kissed the buck between the ears, mentioning offhandedly, "So for dinner. I was thinking we'd eat outside since it's so nice out. What say we grill up some zucchini and portabella?"

Jack seemed to relax, laying his head against Nick's shoulder, "Sounds good Mr. Fox."

Not long after they arrived, Nick got a fire going in the pit he kept in his front yard (a mostly buried concrete pipe). Surrounded by a wildly overgrown, garbage strewn field, the house itself was a cozy, two story farmhouse. Although it looked like absolute crap on the outside, that was only a facade. Inside, and structurally, the house was actually quite well kept. Located on the edge of the city in an abandoned industrial area, Nick owned a huge area of overgrown land that had once been a box factory. A hustle in his past had used a loophole in the system to enable him to rezone a small section dead in the center of it as a residential plot. Suffice it to say, Nick's was the only house in any direction for quite a ways.

After getting the fire ready, Nick and Jack changed into comfortable clothes and began preparing their meal. At one point, Jack subtly flicked his eyes towards an area of long grass that was waving in the wind a bit too much. Nick whispered in good humor, "Ninja-Bun has arrived. I can't believe she followed us here. That little trespasser. We're going to have to find some way to chase her off I think."

Jack gave Nick a slightly lusty look, whispering knowingly, "How ever do you plan to do that Mr. Wilde?"

Nick only smiled.

The two laid out a blanket on the open dirt near the fire pit and began making their dinner. They spoke about little things: favorite films, the pluses and minuses of wood flooring over tile, the uncommonly warm weather. Several times Nick caught himself almost referring to his boyfriend as Jack instead of Max. By the time they were mostly finished with their dinner Nick had grown bored with the ruse. Deeply relaxed, and taking in Jack's delicate but strongly male features as they were softly accentuated by the firelight, Nick decided that he was tired of playing around.

Grabbing the paper plate that Jack was holding, Nick tipped it and the meagre remains of his dinner into the fire. Before the bunny could protest he had captured his lips with his own, grabbing a velvety ear and stroking it from base to tip.

Jacks imminent complaint was instead transformed into a muffled, "Mmmm" as the rabbit melted at the hands of his vulpine lover.

…

Not twenty feet away Judy was watching the exchange with intense focus.

The day had been a total bust. She had learned nothing about Max Lapins and had detected no evil intent of any kind. The conversations she had heard from them were little more than innocuous (albeit affectionate) small talk. Something didn't seem right, and several times she felt as if an epiphany were just out of reach; but it never came. Unfortunately, seeing the buck and todd together constantly brought up images of, 'the video' which would in turn caused her to lose focus entirely.

Then, before her eyes, what had been just about the most tedious date in history, turned suddenly, extremely hot and heavy.

…

Nick, with an obviously practiced paw, undid the buttons of Jack's shirt with one claw in a single downward motion; his finger weaving in a looping flick, never stopping until the shirt was fully open. Without pausing, the same claw proceeded to undo the button on the rabbit's pants, catching the edge of his underwear, and in what could have constituted a pretty impressive magic trick, the currently black furred, golden eyed rabbit found himself completely naked; his clothing in a rumpled pile across from him.

All this happened in the span of three seconds. Jack yelped in surprise as he was lifted and flipped upside down. He came to a stop, the top of his head resting against Nick's inner thighs, most of his weight being held by the fox's hands which nearly enveloped his waist, his nose almost touching the buckle of Nick's pants. A moment later the bunny shuttered at the incredible sensation of Nick's tongue as it traveled from his bellybutton, up and over his hardening cock, around and across his balls and finally sliding wetly over his anus and along the soft fur of his tail.

Jack's gasp caused Nick to smile predatorily. The currently inverted bun managed to shakingly ask, "Wh- I thought you were grossed out by that kind of thing."

Remaining mute, Nick proceeded with several more long, slow licks; his tongue traversing different routes along Jack's erogenous zones each time. In seconds the rabbit had become achingly hard, moaning, he began to scramble at Nick's belt and zipper.

In the meantime, Nick, having done some online research on appropriate techniques, wound his long tongue around Jack's member, effectively wrapping it in a short corkscrew. The bunnies soft flesh thus protected from sharp teeth, Nick created a tunnel with his lips, and growling gently, began to rock the rabbit forward and back in his arms.

Jack had just managed to free Nick's foxhood from his pants. Tilting his head back he managed to get most of it into his throat just before, with a muffled series of moans, skyward legs drumming into the night air, Jack came into Nick's mouth; coating the back of the fox's throat.

Nick pulled back after a moment, letting a pool of semen rest on his tongue before swallowing. With a few clicks of his lips the fox hummed in thought, "And all this time I was just hoping it would taste like cream cheese icing. Don't be offended if I spit next time, I think swallowing is more you… try everything though, right?"

Jack might have answered but his speaking orifice was quite filled at that moment. Luckily, he, by virtue of his ancestry, was able to still breathe comfortably through his nose. Instead of giving an answer, Jack tried to work the long shaft of Nick's cock up and down his throat. Unfortunately, suspended as he was, his efforts were having little success. Nick, seeing the problem, began to bob the rabbit over this lap, using his entire body as an unconventional stroker. Jack found he really didn't mind at all.

…

Back in the bushes, a single thought skipped like a record through the forefront of Judy Hopps's mind, "I should leave I should leave I should-"

Finally, pulling her eyes from the rabbit and fox playing a very unique game of 'bobbing for apples', she mustered the will to turn away, only to discover her clenched fist seemed to be ensnared in the long grass where she appeared to be grasping it. She tried to pull away, but before her mind could command her fingers to release themselves she was distracted by a sudden moan of ecstasy that reverberated throughout the yard. The moment she looked up, all thoughts of retreat were swept away as her whole being was seized, rapt once again by the carnal spectacle.

…

Giving the fox's leg a quick tap, Jack was released from his self-imposed bondage; Nick's cock leaving his mouth with a final lewd, sucking slurp.

Recognising the signal Nick placed him back on the ground. The rabbit raised his eyebrows and smirked evilly, waved a finger in a tight circle and, wordlessly, Nick complied; he knew exactly where this was heading.

Before he'd come down for dinner, Nick had spent a few minutes in the bathroom upstairs doing a little preparation. This, it turned out, was just something that came with the territory of what he had planned for the evening's entertainment. He didn't really mind the extra work though, because in the present, after flipping on to all fours, knees spread low, Jack stepped his small feet onto the backs of the fox's calves, grabbing the base of his tail with both paws, positioned his still-hard penis against his eager tail-hole, and all-at-once, slipped inside, slamming his hips forward with virtually no resistance. Nick yipped and moaned loudly as the familiar sensation overtook his senses; this was better than good - it was fucking heaven.

Admittedly, Nick had been with quite a wide array of female partners in the past. There was no doubt or question that vaginal sex had been great. Always though, during the act, there had been a part of Nick's mind that was occupied with other things; that had remained rational. He could be pleasuring a vixen at top speed and still be thinking vaguely about the logistics of a hustle or find himself plagued by small worries. This however, what Jack was doing to him, it absolutely annihilated his mind. Nowhere and nothing existed but the feeling of getting fucked. Nick couldn't think coherent thoughts if his life depended on it. And so, he acted very outside his norm. For the first time in his life he was truly able to let loose, saying a variety of 'sexy' things. Many of these, if asked, he would have absolutely no memory of. His calls and cries of pleasure, the feral growling and unbidden yips were entirely beyond his control. He loved it, because for the first time in his life he got to take a vacation from himself; he could become lost. In that state, he felt strangely innocent… and incredibly free. It was a feeling he found himself desiring with greater and greater frequency.

…

To hell with it. Judy's attempts to fight her baser self fell to tiny pieces as she watched Nick being pounded with piston-like trusts from his lapin companion. The slapping was accompanied by an almost constant and incomprehensible stream of the fox's breathy moans and half sentences, "Ahhhnn-oh gods ye-ohhh yess-that feels so, oh... Ah AH AH Ah-yes- fuck me-fuck ah AH! Oh-"

The noise was coming from a completely transformed Nicholas Wilde whose head was firmly planted against the ground, head turned, eyes rolled as far up into his head as they could go. His mouth never closing, tongue lulling out of his mouth as it left a thin trail of saliva across the blanket. Beneath him, his cock flapped wildly, slapping lightly against his stomach, then swinging towards the ground, sending flickering dribbles of pre-cum all around him. Apart from that, Nick's dick seemed to be all but forgotten as his hands did little else but grasp and pull on the blanket in front of his face.

All of it was simply too much for Judy. At some point she had gotten her hands down her pants and began fingering herself with abandon. Her first orgasm came almost immediately and only caused her paw and wrist to act with more urgency as she made way towards her second.

…

Seconds later, with an ever growing, whimpering scream of ecstasy that lasted a very long time, Nick started to cum; firing long, thin brushstrokes of semen across the blanket, catching his own chest fur in the spray and causing viscous threads of spunk, which sparkled in the firelight, to trail between himself and the ground. Jack came not long after, his whole body half-way onto Nick's back, he had been going at it from above as it seemed to provide a little extra leverage and speed. As he came, he pulled himself out of Nick and, crying out, glazed the fox's trembling testacles with his seed.

…

Judy, still transfixed, had her own earthshaking, toe-curling orgasm. Unfortunately for her, she did it a good ten seconds after Nick and Max Lapins had already finished with theirs. So, as the waves of pulsing pleasure subsided, the crotch of her pants now utterly soaked in her own feminine juices, Judy realized with a start that she had been moaning quite loudly.

Cold dread crept over her, and as she looked up, she came face to face with two pairs of questioning eyes; emerald and gold.

…

As the fox and rabbit stood and walked towards her, Judy's world ceased to spin on it axis. The universe was laughing as the sky came crumbling down on her head.

Nick Wilde was looking at her, wearing the widest shit-eating grin ever worn by any mammal in the history of shit-eating grins. Around his waist, he was tying the filthy towel that had been both rubbed in the dirt and splattered with bodily fluids.

"Well well, look who it is. Miss 'fingers-herself-in-the-bushes'. I'm glad you enjoyed the show."

Judy was frozen; she had no words, otherwise, she would have started running… or perhaps screaming incoherently; probably both.

Long seconds stretched out into an infinity of ever deepening embarrassment.

Finally, Max, who was also standing over her with a slight smirk, put his paws to his face and to Judy's total amazement, drew away two contact lenses, revealing baby-blue irises. Leaning forward, he whispered in an amused voice, "You can take your hand out of your pants now Hopps."

Hopps…?

A stunning realization hit Judy. The oddities, missing pieces and obvious tells of this little puzzle that had alluded her now falling into place. Max was Jack…? She knew that voice and that tone and what the fuck!? What the fucking fuck! Jack!?

The revelation hit Judy as her frozen terror began to thaw and crack into an inferno of rage. She became aware that she was in fact still two fingers, knuckle deep in her vagina. In one swift, unceremonious movement she withdrew them and wiped some of the creamy wetness off on her shirt. Then, in the same fluid motion, she stood, stepped forward and hammered Jack in the stomach with her fist, using every ounce of her considerable might.

The male rabbit flew onto his back and curled into a ball.

"You sons of bitches! You set this whole thing up from the beginning! I know that's you under there Savage!"

Nick stepped between Jack (who had rolled into a ball, gasping) and Judy who was lining up for a kick, her eyes looking downright demonic. Nick interrupted her with a roar.

"Hold it! Before you go nuts you're going to listen. This was my idea. I planned it."

"Why!" Judy screamed, "Because I said I didn't love you!?"

"No! You never had to love me! You have every right to your own feelings and opinions! This is for meddling with my heart when I told you not to. For trying to push me into a new relationship literally weeks after the biggest heartbreak of my entire life! For disrespecting my wishes, for dismissing my sexual preferences! For setting me up on a date and then spying on me from the fucking park like a crazy person - yeah, we definitely saw you! And finally, for fingering yourself on my property while you watched me get fucked by my boyfriend!"

Each point was like a hard slap to Judy's face and her rage was shoved halfway to the backburner, "You set this up though. You led me here. You wanted me to see you!"

"Yeah, I wanted to give you a taste of your own medicine. Hell, I expected you to go redder than a tomato before running away as far and as fast as your little legs could carry you. Instead you froze like a teenage boy seeing his first nudie magazine before sticking your paw down your pants!"

Judy tried to respond but her brain was experiencing a critical error. After moments of searching she finally pushed past her waning conviction and asked, pleading, "But why Nick…"

"Because you lied to me Judy. When you said that you wanted to sleep with me only because you were drunk and in heat. When you said you didn't find me attractive. I know you well enough by now. And I know your smells better than anyone. You've been struggling to keep your hands off me for months. I see you looking. I know how you feel. I'm not blind Judy. If a rabbit was what you wanted you could have taken your pick, but you never even tried. What makes me the most angry, out of everything, is that you condemn yourself to loneliness and you want the same damn thing for me!"

"Nick no!" Judy fumbled, her inner ears had gone white, mouth dry.

"Yes, Judy. You wanted me to be some kind of pseudo-boyfriend. Never too close but never too far. You lied when you said you wanted to find me a mate. Really, you just wanted me to find someone to fuck - never someone to love! That would be reserved just for you! I deserve better than that, Judith! And maybe you didn't realize what you were doing, but I don't care! You could have had all of me! My whole heart was yours, forever, but, but you-"

"Nick enough! Jack had gotten to his feet and grabbed both of Nick's hands which he had been gesturing with, pointing and waving as his monolog had slowly become heated shouting. The fox was shaking violently. He didn't even know when he had started to shed tears.

His rant derailed, Nick sat slowly to the ground, taking a long deep shuddering breath. Immediately Jack stepped forward, wrapping his arms around him while stroking and running his fingers through the fur on his neck.

Any anger Judy had been feeling had long fizzled out and was replaced first by mortification, followed by dread and settling on gut wrenching remorse.

Nick's words had destroyed her.

She knew later she wouldn't sleep for crying, but in this moment all she could feel was a terrible numbness. This state of shock was all that allowed her to speak, "I… this… e-everything you said is true... It doesn't make what you two did any less shitty. Nick, I was wrong... I screwed up... I've been… I'm a complete mess right now and I ruined everything. I'm… I…"

Judy had to stop, she could feel herself teetering on the edge of a meltdown. If she said anymore she would be a wreck for hours.

Nick stood and steadied himself. The anger mostly drained away. Now he just looked sad, and deeply tired, but he wasn't done. "Well, aren't you going to tell me how a bunny and a fox can't be together? I expected you to be disgusted by all of this and instead-"

"Nick, I was wrong. If you want to be with a bunny, hell, any mammal, male… female. It's not my place t-to tell you who you can and cannot date."

"Wait-what? What? What happened to all that shit you've been saying? Months of near arguments - of cold war in that stuffy police cruiser. And now? You've just decided to do a… a full one-eighty?"

"Look, I'm just as confused as you. I'm playing catch-up and I'm finally seeing the truth for once. I've been so dumb. And anything I say is just inadequate… it sounds so lame and I have no right to even… I… I'm just so sorry. "

Judy teetered again, only at the last moment managing to collect herself as she drew the pain evident in her speech away from her face. "Nick, I've realized recently that I've got some serious, 'issues'. Something is… is the matter with me and I didn't even realize it. I'm going to get help. And when I'm ready I'll need to have a long and really important talk with you. Just, please. Please, please believe me when I say I never meant to hurt you… not ever"

Nick's features had softened. His ears lay flat against his head, "I'm your partner Judy and your best friend. You're right, this was shitty… and... I'm sorry. But, we're here now. Can't we just talk about it? Do we really have to wait? Whatever it is, no matter what, I know we can figure it out like adults. I promise I won't get angry again. I won't push you away. You know you don't have to be afraid."

The resonance of those words, "don't have to be afraid" made Judy clench her teeth as a shudder came into her limbs. "No. Nick. You deserve better then that. I need to be able to show you… I promise I'm going to show you… and… and you forgave me once when you didn't have to. So, let's just forget this idiotic game okay? I forgive you so let's just forget about it."

Suddenly, and before Nick could even respond, Judy's emotional mask began to crack. Not willing to subject him to more of her tears, she turned on her heels and began sprinting away.

Just as suddenly though, she stopped again, turning back.

"Hey Jack!" she called.

The rabbit in question, who was still holding onto Nick, looked at her with a blank expression.

"I don't like you, I don't trust you, and I sure as hell don't approve of you." Judy's eyes were like frozen amethysts, the unspoken threat hovering in the still air.

"If you hurt my fox-"

Jack's eyes were equally cold, like clear blue chips of ice, and his response was clear,

"Your fox?"

The question was never answered as Judy disappeared into the grass and was gone.